PC CHIPS A15G (V1.0) User guide

i

Motherboard User’s Guide

This publication, including photographs, illustrations and software, is under the

guide, nor any of the material contained herein, may be reproduced without the

express written consent of the manufacturer.

The information in this document is subject to change without notice. The manufac-

turer makes no representations or warranties with respect to the contents hereof

and specifically disclaims any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for

any particular purpose. Further, the manufacturer reserves the right to revise this

publication and to make changes from time to time in the content hereof without

obligation of the manufacturer to notify any person of such revision or changes.

Trademarks

IBM, VGA, and PS/2 are registered trademarks of International Business Machines.

AMD, Athlon 64 Sempron are registered trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices

Inc.

Microsoft, MS-DOS and Windows 2000/XP/Vista are registered trademarks of

Microsoft Corporation.

Award is a registered trademark of Phonex Award.

Other names used in this publication may be trademarks and are acknowledged.

Static Electricity Precautions

1. Don’t take this motherboard and components out of their original static-

proof package until you are ready to install them.

2. While installing, please wear a grounded wrist strap if possible. If you

don’t have a wrist strap, discharge static electricity by touching the bare

metal of the system chassis.

3. Carefully hold this motherboard by its edges. Do not touch those compo-

nents unless it is absolutely necessary. Put this motherboard on the top of

static-protection package with component side facing up while installing.

Pre-Installation Inspection

1. Inspect this motherboard whether there are any damages to components

and connectors on the board.

2. If you suspect this motherboard has been damaged, do not connect power

to the system. Contact your motherboard vendor about those damages.

A15G Series, V1.0

November 2007

ii

Motherboard User’s Guide

Table of Contents

Trademark ............................................................................................................i

Chapter 1: Introduction ..................................................................................... 1

Key Features .................................................................................................................... 1

Package Contents ........................................................................................................... 4

Chapter 2: Motherboard Installation .............................................................. 5

Motherboard Components ............................................................................................ 6

I/O Ports .......................................................................................................................... 7

Installing the Processor ................................................................................................. 7

Installing Memory Modules .......................................................................................... 8

Jumper Settings ............................................................................................................ 1 0

Install the Motherboard ............................................................................................... 11

Connecting Optional Devices .....................................................................................12

Install Other Devices .................................................................................................... 1 4

Expansion Slots ............................................................................................................ 1 6

Chapter 3: BIOS Setup Utility ....................................................................... 18

Introduction .................................................................................................................. 1 8

Running the Setup Utility ......................................................................................... ..18

Standard CMOS Setup Page ....................................................................................... 1 9

Advanced BIOS Features Page .................................................................................. 2 1

Advanced Chipset Features Page ............................................................................... 2 5

Integrated Peripherals Page..............................................................................28

Power Management Setup Page.................................................................................3 2

PnP/PCI Configurations Page .................................................................................... 3 4

PC Health Status Page ................................................................................................ 3 4

Load Fail-Safe Defaults .............................................................................................. 3 6

Load Optimized Defaults ............................................................................................. 3 6

Set Supervisor/User Password ..................................................................................... 3 6

Save & Exit setup ......................................................................................................... 3 7

Exit without saving ....................................................................................................... 3 7

Chapter 4: Software & Applications .............................................................. 38

Introduction .................................................................................................................. 3 8

Installing Support Software ........................................................................................ 3 8

Bundled Software Installation .................................................................................... 4 2

Chapter 5: Setting Up NVIDIA RAID Configuration ................................... 43

Setting Up a Non-Bootable RAID Array ................................................................... 4 3

Setting Up a Bootable RAID Array .................................................................. 46

iii

Motherboard User’s Guide

Notice:

1. Owing to Microsoft’s certifying schedule is various to every supplier, we

might have some drivers not certified yet by Microsoft. Therefore, it might

happen under Windows XP that a dialogue box (shown as below) pops out

warning you this software has not passed Windows Logo testing to verify

its compatibility with Windows XP. Please rest assured that our RD de-

partment has already tested and verified these drivers. Just click the “Con-

tinue Anyway” button and go ahead the installation.

1

Motherboard User’s Guide

Chapter 1 Introduction

This motherboard has a socket AM2+/AM2 supporting the newest and advanced

AMD Phenom

TM

/Athlon

TM

64 X2 Dual-Core/Athlon

TM

64/Sempron

TM

CPUs

with 2000 MT/s HyperTransport

TM

(HT) interface Speeds.

This motherboard is based on NVIDIA

®

MCP61P/MCP61S that supports the

Serial ATA interface for high-performance and mainstream desktop PCs, and the

built-in USB 2.0 providing higher bandwidth, implementing USB 2.0 EHCI and

USB 1.1 OHCI. It supports High Definition Audio Codec and provides one IDE

Ultra DMA 133/100/66/33 channel. It has one PCI Express x16 slot (MCP61S

only supports PCI Express x8), one PCI Express x1 slot and two 32-bit PCI slots.

There is a full set of I/O ports including two PS/2 ports for mouse and keyboard,

one parallel port, one serial port, VGA1, one LAN port, four back-panel USB2.0

ports, and audio jacks for microphone, line-in and 6/8-channel (optional) line-out.

Onboard USB header(s) can provide extra ports by connecting the Extended USB

Module to the motherboard.

This motherboard is a Micro ATX size motherboard and has power connectors for

an ATX power supply.

Key Features

The key features of this motherboard include:

Socket-AM2+/AM2 Processor Support

• Supports socket AM2+/AM2 for AMD Phenom

TM

/Athlon

TM

64 X2 Dual-

Core/Athlon

TM

64/Sempron

TM

processors

• Supports up to 2000 MT/s HyperTransport

TM

interface Speeds

Note: HyperTransport Technology is a point-to-point link between two devices,

it enables integrated circuits to exchange information at much higher speeds

than currently available interconnect technologies.

• 1 GHz HyperTransport x16 up and down links to the AM2+/AM2 CPUs

• PCI Express 16 lane link interface for external graphics processors

(MCP61S only supports PCI Express 8 lane link interface for

other peripherals)

• PCI 2.3 interface at 33 MHz

• Integrated SATA 3.0 Gb/s Host Controller

• USB 2.0 ports supported

• Fast ATA-133 IDE controller

Chipset

The NVIDIA

®

MCP61P/MCP61S is a single-chip with proven reliability and

performance.

2

Motherboard User’s Guide

Memory Support

• Two 240-pin DIMM slots for DDR2 SDRAM memory modules

• Supports Dual Channel DDR2 800/667/533/400 memory bus

• Maximum installed memory is 16* GB

(* Duo to the DRAM maximum size is 2 GB at present, the memory

maximum size we have tested is 4 GB.)

Expansion Slots

• One PCI Express x16 slot (MCP61S only supports PCI Express x8)

• One PCI Express x1 slot

• Two 32-bit PCI slots

Onboard IDE channels

• One IDE Connector

• Supports PIO (Programmable Input/Output) and DMA (Direct Memory

Access) modes

• Supports IDE Ultra DMA bus mastering with transfer rates of 133/100/66/

33 MB/sec

Serial ATA

• Four Serial ATA Connectors

• Compliant with the SATA2 with 3.0 Gb/s per direction per channel

• 7.1+2 Channel High Definition Audio Codec

• All DACs support 192K/96K/48K/44.1KHz DAC sample rate

• Software selectable 2.5V/3.75V VREPOUT

• Meets Microsoft WHQL/WLP 2.x audio requirements

• Direct Sound 3D

TM

compatible

7.1 Channel High Definition Audio Codec

ADC support 148K/96K sample rate

High quality differential CD input

Power Support: Digital: 3.3V; Analog: 5.0V

Meets Microsoft WHQL/WLP 2.0 audio requirements

Direct Sound 3D

TM

compatible

5.1 Channel Hifh Definition Audio Codec

ADCs support 44.1/48k/96k sample rate

Meets Microsoft WHQL/WLP 3.0x audio requirements

Direct Sound 3D

TM

compatible

5.1 Channel Hifh Definition Audio Codec

ADCs support 44.1/48k/96k sample rate

Meets Microsoft WLP 3.08 Vista premium and mobile PCs audio

requirements

Direct Sound 3D

TM

compatible

•

Audio Codec (optional)

3

Chapter 1: Introduction

Fast Ethernet LAN

• 10Base-T/100BASE-TX IEEE 802.3u fast Ethernet transceiver

• Low-power mode

• MII and 7-wire serial interface

USB 2.0

• Compliant with Universal Serial Bus Specification Revision 2.0

• Compliant with Open Host Controller Interface Specification Revision 1.1

BIOS Firmware

This motherboard uses Award BIOS that enables users to configure many system

features including the following:

• Power management

• Wake-up alarms

• CPU parameters and memory timing

• CPU and memory timing

The firmware can also be used to set parameters for different processor clock

speeds.

Dimensions

• Micro-ATX form factor of 244 x 214 mm

Note: Hardware specifications and software items are subject to change without

notification.

• One LAN port

• Audio jacks for microphone, line-in and 6/8-channel (optional) line-out

Onboard I/O Ports

• Two PS/2 ports for mouse and keyboard

• One parallel port

• One serial port

• One VGA port

• Four back-panel USB2.0 ports

4

Motherboard User’s Guide

Package Contents

Your motherboard package ships with the following items:

 The motherboard

 The User’s Guide

 One diskette drive ribbon cable (optional)

 One IDE drive ribbon cable

 The Software support CD

Optional Accessories

You can purchase the following optional accessories for this motherboard.

 The Extended USB module

 The Serial ATA cable

 The Serial ATA power cable

Note: You can purchase your own optional accessories from the third party,

but please contact your local vendor on any issues of the specification

and compatibility.

5

Chapter 2: Motherboard Installation

Chapter 2 Motherboard Installation

To install this motherboard in a system, please follow these instructions in this

chapter:

 Identify the motherboard components

 Install a CPU

 Install one or more system memory modules

 Make sure all jumpers and switches are set correctly

 Install this motherboard in a system chassis (case)

 Connect any extension brackets or cables to headers/connectors on the

motherboard

 Install peripheral devices and make the appropriate connections to headers/

connectors on the motherboard

Note:

1 Before installing this motherboard, make sure jumper CLR_CMOS is

under Normal setting. See this chapter for information about locating

CLR_CMOS and the setting options.

2 Never connect power to the system during installation; otherwise, it

may damage the motherboard.

6

Motherboard User’s Guide

Motherboard Components

ITEM LABEL CO MPO NEN TS

Socket AM 2+/AM 2 for AM D Phenom

TM

/Athlon

TM

64

X2 Dual-Core/Athlon

TM

64/Sempron

TM

processors

2 DIM M 1~2 240-pin DDR2 SDRAM slots

3 FDD Floppy disk drive connector

4 PWR1 Standard 24-pin ATX power connector

5 IDE1 Primary IDE connector

6 SPK1 Speaker header

7 SATA1~4 Serial ATA connectors

8 CLR_CMOS Clear CMOS jumper

9 PANEL1 Front p anel switch/LED header

10 USBPWR_F Front Panel USB Power Select Jumper

11 F_USB1~3 Front Panel USB headers

12 SYS_FAN System cooling fan connector

13 SPDIFO1 SPDIF out header

14 CD_IN Analog audio input header

15 F_AUDIO Front panel audio header

16 PCI1~2 32-bit add-on card slots

17 PCIEX1 PCI Express x1 slot

18 PCIEX16 PCI Express x16 slot for graphics interface

19 USBPWR_R Rear Panel USB PS/2 Power Select Jumper

20 PWR2 4-pin +12V power connector

21 CPU_FAN CPU cooling fan connector

1CPU Socket

7

Chapter 2: Motherboard Installation

I/O Ports (optional)

The illustration below shows a side view of the built-in I/O ports on the

motherboard.

PS/2 Mouse

Use the upper PS/2 port to connect a PS/2 pointing

device.

PS/2 Ke yboard

Use the low er PS/2 port to connect a PS/2

keyboard.

Par allel Port

(LPT)

Use the Parallel port to connect printers or other

parallel communications devices.

Serial Por t

(COM1)

Use the COM port to connect serial devices such

as mice or fax/modems.

VGA1 Port

Use the VGA1 port to connect the VGA devices.

LAN Port

Connect an RJ-45 jack to the LAN port to connect

your computer to the Netw ork.

USB Por t s

Use the USB ports to connect USB devices.

Audio Ports

(optional)

Use these three audio jacks to connect audio

devices. The f irst jack is for stereo Line-In signal,

the second jack for stereo Line-Out signal, and the

third jack for Microphone.

Use these audio jacks to connect audio devices.

The Aport is for stereo Line-In signal, w hlie the C

port is for microphone in signal. The motherboard

supports 8-channel audio devices that correspond

to A, B, D and E port respectively. In addition, all of

the three ports, A, B and D provide users w ith

both right & lef t channels individually.

8

Motherboard User’s Guide

CPU Installation Procedure

Follow these instructions to install the CPU:

1 Unhook the locking lever of the CPU socket.

Pull the locking lever away from the socket

and raising it to the upright position.

2 Match the pin1 corner marked as the beveled

edge on the CPU with the pin1 corner on the

socket. Insert the CPU into the socket. Do

not use force.

3 Push the locking lever down and hook it un-

der the latch on the edge of socket.

4 Apply thermal grease to the top of the CPU.

5 Install the cooling fan/heatsink unit onto the

CPU, and secure them all onto the socket base.

6 Plug the CPU fan power cable into the CPU

fan connector (CPU_FAN) on the

motherboard.

Note: To achieve better airflow rates and heat dissipation, we suggest that you

use a high quality fan with 4800 rpm at least. CPU fan and heatsink

installation procedures may vary with the type of CPU fan/heatsink supplied.

The form and size of fan/heatsink may also vary.

Installing the Processor

This motherboard has an AM2+/AM2 processor socket. When choosing a proces-

sor, consider the performance requirements of the system. Performance is based on

the processor design, the clock speed and system bus frequency of the processor,

and the quantity of internal cache memory and external cache memory.

9

Chapter 2: Motherboard Installation

Memory Module Installation Procedure

These modules can be installed with up to 16* GB system memory. Refer to the

following to install the memory module.

1. Push down the latches on both sides of the DIMM socket.

2. Align the memory module with the socket. There is a notch on the DIMM

socket that you can install the DIMM module in the correct direction.

Match the cutout on the DIMM module with the notch on the DIMM

socket.

3. Install the DIMM module into the socket and press it firmly down until it

is seated correctly. The socket latches are levered upwards and latch on to

the edges of the DIMM.

4. Install any remaining DIMM modules.

Over its predecessor, DDR2-SDRAM offers greater bandwidth and density in a

smaller package along with a reduction in power consumption. In addition, DDR2-

SDRAM offers new features and functions that enable a higher clock rate and data

rate operations of 800/667/533/400 MHz. DDR2 transfers 64 bits of data twice

every clock cycle.

Installing Memory Modules

This motherboard accommodates two 240-pin DIMM sockets (Dual Channel

Memory Module) for unbuffered DDR2 800/667/533/400 memory modules (Double

Data Rate SDRAM), and maximum 16* GB installed memory.

10

Motherboard User’s Guide

CLR_CMOS: Clear CMOS Jumper

Use this jumper to clear the contents of the CMOS memory. You may need to clear

the CMOS memory if the settings in the Setup Utility are incorrect and prevent

your motherboard from operating. To clear the CMOS memory, disconnect all the

power cables from the motherboard and then move the jumper cap into the CLEAR

setting for a few seconds.

Function Jumper

NORMA L Shor t Pins 1-2

CLEAR CMOS Short Pins 2- 3

Note: To avoid the system unstability after clearing CMOS, we recommend users

to enter the main BIOS setting page to “Load Optimal De-faults” and then

“Save Changes and Exit”.

Jumper Settings

Connecting two pins with a jumper cap is SHORT; removing a jumper cap from

these pins, OPEN.

Note for dual-channel DDR2:

1. You CAN NOT use only one DIMM2 for it might cause the system shutdown.

2. You need to use DIMM1 and DIMM2 with the same size of memory modules.

USBPWR_F: FRONT PANEL USB POWER SELECT Jumper

Function Jumper Setting

VCC5 Short Pins 1-2

VCC5_DUAL Short Pins 2-3

CLR_CMOS

1

Use this jumper to set the Front Panel USB Power function.

USBPWR_F

1

11

Chapter 2: Motherboard Installation

Install The Motherboard

Install the motherboard in a system chassis (case). The board is an micro-ATX size

motherboard. You can install this motherboard in an ATX case. Make sure your case

has an I/O cover plate matching the ports on this motherboard.

Connect the power connector from the power supply to the PWR1 connector on

the motherboard. PWR2 is a +12V connecotr for CPU Vcore power.

If there is a cooling fan installed in the system chassis, connect the system cooling

fan cable to the SYS_FAN fan power connector on the motherboard.

Connect the case switches and indicator LEDs to the PANEL1 header.

Install the motherboard in a case. Follow the case manufacturer’s instructions to

use the hardware and internal mounting points on the chassis.

USBPWR_R: REAR USB PS/2 POWER SELECT Jumper

Use this jumper to set the Rear USB PS/2 Power function.

Function Jumper Setting

VCC5 Short Pins 1-2

VCC5_DUAL Short Pins 2-3

USBPWR_R

1

Note:1. Make sure the power supply provides enough VCC5_DUAL voltage

before selecting the VCC5_DUAL function.

2. It is required that users place the USBPWR_F & USBPWR_R cap onto

2-3 pin rather than 1-2 pin as default if you want to wake up the

computer by USB/PS2 KB/Mouse.

12

Motherboard User’s Guide

Pin Signal Pin Signal

1 HD_LED_P( +) 2 FP PWR/SLP(+)

3 HD_LED_N(- ) 4 FP PWR/SLP(- )

5 RESET_SW_ N( - ) 6 POWER_SW_ P( +)

7 RESET_SW_ P( +) 8 POWER_ SW_N( -)

9RSVD 10KEY

SPK1: Speaker Header

Connect the cable from the PC speaker to the SPK1 header on the motherboard.

F_AUDIO: Front Panel Audio Header (optional)

This header allows the user to install auxiliary front-oriented microphone and line-

out ports for easier access.

Pin Signal

1VCC

2Key

3GND

4 Signal

Pin Signal Pin Signal

1PORT 1L 2GND

3 PORT 1R 4 PRESENCE#

5 PORT 2R 6 Sense1_return

7 SENCE_SEND 8 KEY

9 PORT 2L 10 Sense2_return

Connecting Optional Devices

Refer to the following for information on connecting the motherboard’s optional

devices:

Here is a list of the PANEL1 pin assignments.

13

Chapter 2: Motherboard Installation

Here is a list of USB pin assignments.

1. Locate the F_USB1~3 header on the motherboard.

2. Plug the bracket cable onto the F_USB1~3 header.

3. Remove a slot cover from one of the expansion slots on the system chassis.

Install an extension bracket in the opening. Secure the extension bracket to

the chassis with a screw.

Pin Signal Pin Signal

1 USBPWR0 2 USBPWR0

3 USB_ FP_ P0( - ) 4 US B_ FP_ P1( - )

5USB_FP_P0(+) 6USB_FP_P1(+)

7GND 8GND

9KEY 10USB_FP_OC0

F_USB1~3: Front Panel USB Headers

The motherboard has USB ports installed on the rear edge I/O port array. Addition-

ally, some computer cases have USB ports at the front of the case. If you have this

kind of case, use auxiliary USB headers F_USB1~3 to connect the front-mounted

ports to the motherboard.

Pin Signal

1SPDIFOUT

25VA

3Key

4GND

SPDIFO1: S/PIF Out Header

S/PDIF (Sony/Plilips Digital Interface) is a standard audio transfer file format and

allows the transfer of digatal audio signals from one device to another without

having to be converted first to an analog format. Via a specific audio cable, you can

connect the SPDIFO1 header (S/PDIF output) on the motherboard to the S/PDIF

digital input on the external speakers or AC Decode devices.

14

Motherboard User’s Guide

Floppy Disk Drive

The motherboard ships with a floppy disk drive cable that can support one or two

drives. Drives can be 3.5" or 5.25" wide, with capacities of 360K, 720K, 1.2MB,

1.44MB, or 2.88MB.

Install your drives and connect power from the system power supply. Use the

cable provided to connect the drives to the floppy disk drive connector FD D .

IDE Devices

IDE devices include hard disk drives, high-density diskette drives, and CD-ROM

or DVD-ROM drives, among others.

The mainboard ships with an IDE cable that can support one or two IDE devices.

If you connect two devices to a single cable, you must configure one of the drives

as Master and one of the drives as Slave. The documentation of the IDE device will

tell you how to configure the device as a Master or Slave device. The Master device

connects to the end of the cable.

Install the device(s) and connect power from the system power supply. Use the

cable provided to connect the device(s) to the Primary IDE channel connector IDE1

on the motherboard.

Install Other Devices

Install and connect any other devices in the system following the steps below.

15

Chapter 2: Motherboard Installation

Serial ATA Devices

The Serial ATA (Advanced Technology Attachment) is the standard interface for

the IDE hard drives, which is designed to overcome the design limitations while

enabling the storage interface to scale with the growing media rate demands of PC

platforms. It provides you a faster transfer rate of 3.0 Gb/s. If you have installed a

Serial ATA hard drive, you can connect the Serial ATA cables to the Serial ATA hard

drive or the connector on the motherboard.

On the motherboard, locate the Serial ATA connectors SATA1-4, which support

new Serial ATA devices for the highest data transfer rates, simpler disk drive cabling

and easier PC assembly.

It eliminates limitations of the current Parallel ATA interface, but maintains register

compatibility and software compatibility with Parallel ATA.

Analog Audio Input Header

If you have installed a CD-ROM drive or DVD-ROM drive, you can connect the

drive audio cable to the onboard sound system.

When you first start up your system, the BIOS should automatically detect your

CD-ROM/DVD drive. If it doesn’t, enter the Setup Utility and configure the CD-

ROM/DVD drive that you have installed. On the motherboard, locate the 4-pin

header CD_IN.

16

Motherboard User’s Guide

Pin Signal

1 CD_L

2GND

3GND

4CD_R

Here is a list of CD_IN pin assignments.

Expansion Slots

This motherboard has one PCI Ex16 slot (MCP61S only supports PCI Express

x8), one PCI Ex1 slot and two 32-bit PCI slots.

17

Chapter 2: Motherboard Installation

Follow the steps below to install an PCI Express x16/PCI Express x1/PCI expan-

sion card.

1. Locate the PCI Express x16, PCI Express x1 and PCI slots on the mainboard.

2. Remove the blanking plate of the slot from the system chassis.

3. Install the edge connector of the expansion card into the slot. Ensure the

edge connector is correctly seated in the slot.

4. Secure the metal bracket of the card to the system chassis with a screw.

PCI Slots

You can install the 32-bit PCI interface expansion cards in the slots.

PCI Express x16 slot

The one PCI Express x16 slot is fully compliant to the PCI Express Base Specification

revision 1.1 as well.

PCI Express x1 Slot

The one PCI Express x1 slot is fully compliant to the PCI Express Base Specification

revision 1.1 as well.

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